Former Olympian, Monarch and Hall of Famer Bolton delivers a message: Her dreams came true

Wednesday

Nov 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - As one of 20 children growing up in rural Mississippi, Ruthie Bolton knew she had to try hard and never give up if she wanted to stand out and make her dreams come true.

Scott Linesburgh

STOCKTON - As one of 20 children growing up in rural Mississippi, Ruthie Bolton knew she had to try hard and never give up if she wanted to stand out and make her dreams come true.

On Tuesday, Bolton, a two-time Olympian and women's basketball Hall of Famer who played for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs, brought her message of hope and determination to Stockton.

Bolton spoke to a crowd of approximately 40 people at the Dr. Lewis D. Stallworth Senior Charter School on East Main Street as part of a promotional tour for her book, "The Ride of a Lifetime." Wearing a USA basketball uniform with her familiar No. 6, Bolton engaged the audience with a 45-minute talk, focusing on her career and life.

Bolton, 45, played collegiately at Auburn and won gold medals with Team USA at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She played eight seasons (1997-2004) with the now-defunct Monarchs. Bolton, who also played under her former married name Ruthie Bolton-Holifield, worked in the Monarchs' front office after she was released by the team in 2005 and coached women's basketball at William Jessup University in 2006-07.

The Elk Grove resident said she wanted to speak in Stockton.

"You hear things about Stockton, but every place has high risks. I wanted to bring a message of hope to the children, and this is one of the places I wanted to go," Bolton said. "There are highs and lows in life, and you must never give up. My message doesn't change whether there are five people here or 1,000 people."

Bolton was challenged by some in the audience to play one-on-one basketball. Richard Stallworth, the 6-foot-6 son of the school's founder, Lewis Stallworth, said: "I'm the first 62-year-old man who is going to dunk on you." Bolton smiled and responded: "I admire your courage."

"There are wonderful people here," Bolton said. "It's a great experience."

Bolton, a 2011 inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, wasn't in Stockton for a game of hoops. She spent much of her time discussing her background, which included growing up as the 16th of 20 children in Lucedale, Miss. She said her parents had more than enough love to spread around, and she learned at a young age that she had to stay aware at the dinner table.

"I would look around and some food would be missing," Bolton said. "I'd tell my mother someone took a piece of my turkey, and she would just tell me to keep my eyes on my plate."

After her speech, Bolton tossed several small sponge basketballs to the crowd and allowed some children to try on her gold medals. Veronica Silva of Stockton brought her 8-year-old triplets - Omar, Armando and Laisha. Omar was the first to try on a medal.

"The boys don't play basketball, but they play soccer and want to go to the Olympics someday," Silva said. "This was inspiring."

Princess Martin of Stockton brought a group of five children to see Bolton, and said they all listened intently. Stallworth student Antonisha Miles, 17, said there were good messages that had little to do with sports.

"I think it's more of a life message," Miles said. "Listening to how she made it made me want to try harder to accomplish my goals."